“Yes, now your executive assistant.”
“Oh, right. Sorry,” I said as I quickly walked out and into the main reception area. It wasn’t like I didn’t know where in the hell I was going. My office was down from my father’s. Hell, I even knew that was Marge, my father’s right-hand woman.
For the last few years he had groomed me to take over our family business. I soaked up everything he said and then some. I thought I knew everything I needed to know to run CMI Consulting, at least what I needed to know for now. I’d still have plenty of years of learning under my father’s wing … at least, I thought I would. However, being the CEO of a billion-dollar business was not something I was ready to do at twenty-eight years old. Now I was being thrown into it—frying pan meet fire—and I was scared shitless.
Or was I? This was what my father pushed me so hard for. Day after day he pounded it in my head about running the business his father had started. It was to stay in the family … and the family was to stay in control. Always. Ever since I was a little girl, he would tell me that over and over again. I swear if he could’ve woven it into a bedtime story, I was pretty sure he would have.
“Don’t ever let go of this company. It’s your future. Your children’s future. Your children’s children’s future.”
There was one promise I had made to myself a long time ago. If I was ever blessed with a child, I would never pressure them to do what I wanted them to do. They would have the choice to decide. Not that I wasn’t grateful my father trusted me with his company, because I was. There wasn’t anything I could ever want for; he made sure of that. And this company was the reason.
Swallowing hard, I smoothed out my pencil skirt, tucked my white satin shirt in a little more, lifted my shoulders, and headed to the conference room.
Glancing down at the New York Times on someone’s desk, I stopped in my tracks. Will twenty-eight-year-old Charleston Monroe soon be one of the top five richest women in America? Did we mention she’s single?
Marge gently took my elbow and led me on.
“Just ignore the press. They’re going to want to chew you up and spit you out. Don’t let them. They are just trying to sell a few thousand papers is all.”
Turning to look at her, I was positive I wore a horrified expression. I was on the cover of the fucking New York Times!
I am so screwed.
Daddy, why did you leave me?
No.
No. I wasn’t screwed because I was a strong woman just like my mother and father raised me to be. I didn’t take shit from anyone. I was going to kick ass at this.
At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
“Your father always believed you were ready to take over. There wasn’t a day that didn’t go by where he didn’t say to me, ‘Marge, my Charleston is going to take this company even further than it is now. She not only has the brains, but the guts to do it.’”
My mouth lifted at the corners. “He said that to me all the time. Of course, I thought I was going to have a bit more time to take on the role.” I didn’t like how shaky my voice sounded. This wasn’t me.
Weak. Lonely. Scared.
Over the last few days, thoughts of Tucker entered my mind every now and then as I fell into a lonely pit. I’d pushed them—along with him—to the back of my mind, but the pain was certainly still there. Even after so many years, I thought about the “what-ifs” and “what could’ve beens” that were possible between us. Instead, here I was, about to walk into a boardroom full of old-timers, and they all expected me to wear the crown of ownership with pride and aplomb. On the inside I was crumbling from all the emotions that were overwhelming me. I could do this. I didn’t have a choice as I looked to Marge for silent encouragement.
Marge gave me a smile that made my chest feel warm.
This was not the woman my parents raised me to be. I needed to snap out of it and walk into that boardroom like I owned it. Well, hell … I did own it.
After a few seconds of deep breaths, I finally said, “Come on, Marge, let’s go show these assholes who’s boss.”
Her smile faltered a bit as her mouth dropped open slightly before she said, “Okay, well, first thing worth mentioning, let’s keep the swearing to a minimum.”
Oh. Shit.
“Right. No swearing. But we’re going to kick ass in there.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my. I’m going to have to get used to your … expanded vocabulary.”
Note to self: Don’t swear in front of Marge.
FIRST, I MET with the lawyer. Alone. After twenty minutes of Mr. Knots telling me everything my father wanted done with certain possessions, he handed me two letters.
My heart dropped when I saw it was my mother and father’s handwriting. “What are these?”
“Letters your parents wrote to you. They asked for them to be given to you if anything was to ever happen to them. I was to hand them over to you after the funeral, and they requested you read them when you were alone.”
I barely acknowledged his request. With a racing heart, I ran my fingers over my name on each letter.
Why did you leave me?
My father’s personal lawyer got up and left the room, leaving the lawyer from CMI in his stead.
“Your father was the CEO and chairman of the board; that responsibility now falls on you.” He cleared his throat and moved about in his seat like he was nervous.
Placing the letters on the table, I dropped my hands to my lap and began wringing them. Did he think I was going to tank the company? He sure was looking at me like the sky was about to fall.
Shit.
I was going to do my father proud. My mind was filled with ideas on where to expand the company. We were already in aerospace and defense, energy power, telecom, media, and technology, as well as financial institutions. My idea was to expand to environmental, health care and life science, and agriculture. Daddy laughed when I mentioned the last one, but I knew it was an industry we needed to get into. I was going to get this company caught up with the times. Not that my father lacked in that department, but it was time to shake things up. Expansion was something my father was leery of. It was a good thing I wasn’t. It meant more profit for the company as a whole, and that would make for happy employees.
Marge got up and opened the side door that led to the smaller conference room. The board members all filed in. Jesus, they’re all so damn old. How am I just now realizing this?
Paul Ricker, executive vice president and chief financial officer, sat and cleared his throat. “Ms. Monroe, how are you doing?”
Squaring off my shoulders, I gave a slight grin. “I’m doing as well as to be expected, I guess you could say.”
He moved about in his seat and nodded. “Of course. Would you like to handle all of this another day? Maybe you need more time? Sometimes it’s hard to jump into such a leadership role if your mindset is not all there.”
What. An. Asshole.
I wasn’t some weak woman who couldn’t handle a damn meeting. Especially one that had to do with my future. What would the board think if I said I needed more time? I needed to show them I was up for the task.
With a slight grin, I replied, “No, Mr. Ricker, my mindset is perfectly fine to handle all of this today.”
With a tip of his head, he motioned for Mr. Knots to speak after the other board members all came and sat down.
“Ms. Monroe, according to a bylaw that was put into place by your grandfather, there is a stipulation on when you can acquire full control of CMI.”
My brow lifted. “And that is?”
I couldn’t help but notice how he glanced around the room. I followed his gaze. More than half of the board members looked down. Cowards didn’t have the balls to look me directly in the eye. Well, that was except for Mr. Ricker and Mr. Potts, the chief of ethics and compliance officer. They both wore smug expressions.
“Your grandfather felt very strongly about this. When he found out that your father would no longer
be having children, specifically a boy …”
Motherfucker.
This was not going to go where I wanted it. Dear old granddaddy always made it known he was pissed I came out with a vagina instead of a dick. He felt like the role of a woman was at home, ready to provide her man with a cigar and drink when he returned home after a long day of work at the office.
“He wrote it in that if you were to inherit the business from your father due to unforeseen circumstances before you were of the age of forty, that in order for you to become chairman of the board and CEO, you would need to be married.”
My jaw dropped.
The fuck did I just hear?
Mr. Knots cleared his throat and kept reading. “And that your husband would possess at least a Bachelor of Business degree and serve on the board of CMI, t-to, um, well, to assist you if need be.”
My eyes darted to Mr. Ricker, who wore a look on his face that almost seemed like he wanted to laugh. I looked back at Mr. Knots.
“Are you fu—”
Marge, who was standing next to me, placed her hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Charleston, remember our conversation.”
Shutting my mouth, I shook my head, took in a deep breath and laughed. “Are you kidding me? Did my father know about this little … stipulation?”
Now it was Mr. Ricker’s turn. “He did.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I asked, “And he agreed with it? Because I’m going to tell you right now, I know for a damn fact he would not have agreed for this to remain a standing contingency in the corporation’s bylaws.”
Marge let out a soft grumble.
“He did not agree with it, Charleston.”
Jerking my head to the right, I looked at Mitchel Landing, a chair member my father had appointed not long after he took over as CEO from my granddaddy. Mitchel continued to talk. “He had asked that the bylaw be taken out, since it was never voted in, and that Mr. Ricker was to see to it. From what I understood from your father, he felt it was just a bitter statement his father was trying to make.”
Oh, this keeps getting better.
I had mentioned to my father I didn’t like Ricker. He was old-school and didn’t like change. More than once I said if I had control of this place, his ass would be gone.
“Is that so?” I asked. “And why was this never done, Mr. Ricker?” My voice was strong, and he heard it. What these old bastards needed to remember was I now held more stock than any of them. CEO or not, I could make their lives a living nightmare.
“Your father kept putting it off, Ms. Monroe.”
Liar. He probably told my father it was taken care of, and my father trusted him and never questioned his actions.
“Let me guess, with my father gone and me unwed, you fall into the leadership role. Am I correct?”
He let out a nervous chuckle as Mr. Knots answered. “Not exactly. If at the time of your father’s death you are unwed, you will be the acting chairman and CEO, but only for four months. At the end of that time period you will need to be legally married in the state of Texas in order to remain in that position. If you are not married, then the position falls to Mr. Ricker.”
I scoffed. “Wedded to a man who holds a business degree, let’s not forget. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, gentlemen. This isn’t the 1950s. I’m very capable of running this company without being married.”
A few other board members nodded their heads in agreement. Laughing, I shook my head. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation in the twenty-first century.”
“As it stands, it was the founder of this company who wished for it to be this way,” Mr. Ricker snapped back.
I pulled in a deep breath. “Well, it is no surprise to me that my grandfather thought so little of me. After all, I didn’t have the right equipment to play in his sandbox, or so he thought.”
Marge groaned and a few chuckles echoed in the room. “I’ll fight. Take it to court and have it thrown out.”
“That could take years to work out in the court system, Ms. Monroe,” Knots reminded me.
“Mr. Knots, are you certain this is legally binding? I’m not a lawyer, but this doesn’t even sound right. It was never voted in. It seems to me we can all place a vote and dismiss this issue right now.” A voice from across the table interjected.
I smiled at Melanie Prescott. I had always liked her. I also liked the fact that she was the only one with balls to speak up, besides Mitchel Landing, and that was because he was my father’s best friend.
Clearing his throat, Knots replied, “I wish it was that easy, but unfortunately the legal process with the untimely death of Mr. Monroe,” everyone looked at me and gave me a sad smile, “will slow things down.”
Shaking my head, I glanced around the table. My grandfather actually required me to be married in order to take over the business I had worked my ass off for and earned the right to be sitting in this position. The business I had given up my entire life for. Hell, my own damn dreams. The business that was rightfully mine!
Swallowing the giant lump in my throat, I let out a chortle as I closed my eyes and shook my head.
Married.
The word itself made my skin crawl. The idea of giving up my freedom to let some asshole of a guy try and run my life was not one that ever appealed to me. I had my beloved cat, Mr. Pootie. He was all I needed. Not some damn guy who would throw his wet towel on the bed and scratch his balls and yell out, “When’s dinner ready, baby?”
I shivered at the thought.
No. Thank you.
“So, when does this four-month time period begin?”
Mr. Ricker leaned forward and flashed me a smile that made my skin crawl. “The day your father passed. You’re now down to three months and three weeks.”
Every ounce of good sense immediately left my body … with anger quickly replacing it.
For the rest of my life, I will never forget the look on poor Marge’s face when I stood and uttered my next sentence.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
MY KEYS MADE a loud crash when I dropped them onto the table. Mr. Pootie, my orange cat and the only man in my life, came running up to me. He didn’t rub around my legs like a normal loving cat would. Oh no. He had his priorities. First came food, then came loving on me. He jumped up at me, begging for food as he let out a meow that sounded more like a dying calf.
“Well, look at you, my sweet baby boy! You got your hair cut today.”
Mr. Pootie responded with a drawn-out meow. “Don’t act like you don’t like it. We both know you sat in the mirror and looked at yourself all day.”
It was true. I’d caught my cat on more than one occasion staring at himself in the mirror. He was worse than me. The first time I ever got him shaved, Lily threatened to commit me. I thought it was adorable and have had it done ever since. If anything, he was a topic of conversation when I threw dinner parties.
Mindlessly, I walked to the pantry and grabbed a can of cat food. Mr. Pootie ran in and out of my legs, attempting to trip me, because apparently I wasn’t moving at the speed he preferred.
Bastard.
Once I opened the can, I dumped the food onto the plate and sighed. “Happy?”
He didn’t even say thank you. He simply dug into his food like he hadn’t eaten in weeks, when in reality, it was eight hours ago.
Rolling my eyes, I mumbled, “Men.”
Making my way to the sofa, I fell face-first across it. That may have not been as thought out as it should have been because my face landed on a decorative pillow with little diamonds that stuck out and embedded into my cheeks. I let out a groan.
With a quick flip of my body, I stared up at the ceiling. The words from my father’s lawyer swirled around in my head.
“In order for you to become chairman and CEO, you would need to be married.”
Married! What in the hell?
The look on Ricker’s face was enough to make me hurl. He thought he was going to
win, but I had other news for him.
Of course, the worst of the news came after my initial shock. I had to prove it wasn’t an arranged marriage. How in the hell was I going to do that? They expected me to find a man, fall in love, and plan a wedding in three months and three weeks’ time? The only good thing that came out of this was I found a flaw in good ol’ granddaddy’s evil plan. I only had to be married one year. If after one year I divorced, I was still able to maintain control. What he didn’t know was divorce was nothing these days. Hell, I’ve had friends marry and divorce a week later without so much as batting an eye.
My phone rang, causing me to sit up quickly. I recognized that ringtone. Jumping up, I ran over to my purse and pulled out my phone.
I smiled when I saw her name.
Terri.
“Hey,” I said as I made my way to my bedroom. I lived in a historic loft apartment in downtown Austin. It had killer views and cost more money than should be legal, but it was my place. I rented it from a friend of my father’s who owned the whole historical building. I had spent countless hours on Pinterest looking for ideas on decorating it. My parents thought I was nuts investing so much money restoring a penthouse loft I was renting, but I was working on the old man into letting me buy the place. My pappy, my mother’s father, owned half of Texas, I swear. His love of buying and selling real estate was passed down to me. I just never had the time to really learn more about it. I’d love to someday buy old houses and restore them. Then flip them and make a shit ton of money.
Another dream I had given up for this clusterfuck of a situation I was in now.
“I got your text. What’s up?”
Heading to my closet, I pulled open the doors and walked in. I needed a dress, a sexy dress.
“I need two things.” Really I needed three. The last one I would keep to myself. I’d spent the last week hiding in my apartment, crying endlessly for my parents. I needed a night out in the real world. Something to take my mind off the hole in my heart.
I could hear Terri’s boyfriend, Jim, in the background. “Wh-what two things do you need?”
My hand came up to my hip as I stopped what I was doing. “Are you having sex right now?”
Seduce Me Page 2
